Skyline vs Delica 4

LilLaz said:
Is the buck a better choice then the Skyline because if I can't get the Delica I'll probably go with the Skyline. Is the metal used in the buck better than the Skyline's?
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I have a Skyline and a Buck Vantage Avid. The skyline is 14c28n the avid is 13c26. The 14c28n is supposed to be an upgrade. The Buck Vantage Select is 420HC. While the Buck is prettier with it's deep carry clip and dymondwood grips, the Skyline is FAR superior. The flipper on the Buck is almost useless without a large amount of wrist action. If you loosen the pivot at all the blade centering goes way off. I can flip my skyline open with ZERO wrist action. The Buck is also lacking chamfering around the edges and it catches your hand as you reach into your pocket.

I don't own a Delica 4 because I hate FRN. It feels so cheap and plasticy. I also like my knives to be one hand open and close so the lockback isn't a positive for me. Sure the Skylines single liner might not be the strongest but it's not a hard use knife, it's a super slim, super light utility knife with a surprisingly large/useful blade for the size/weight.

Kershawguy has blem Skylines for $25!
 
Scurvy092 said:
I have a Skyline and a Buck Vantage Avid. The skyline is 14c28n the avid is 13c26. The 14c28n is supposed to be an upgrade. The Buck Vantage Select is 420HC. While the Buck is prettier with it's deep carry clip and dymondwood grips, the Skyline is FAR superior. The flipper on the Buck is almost useless without a large amount of wrist action. If you loosen the pivot at all the blade centering goes way off. I can flip my skyline open with ZERO wrist action. The Buck is also lacking chamfering around the edges and it catches your hand as you reach into your pocket.

I don't own a Delica 4 because I hate FRN. It feels so cheap and plasticy. I also like my knives to be one hand open and close so the lockback isn't a positive for me. Sure the Skylines single liner might not be the strongest but it's not a hard use knife, it's a super slim, super light utility knife with a surprisingly large/useful blade for the size/weight.

Kershawguy has blem Skylines for $25!
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i use some 60-80 grit sandpaper to lightly roughen the flipper (for better traction) on both of the vantages that i owned. i had no problems using the flippers on my vantages.
 
Scurvy092 said:
Kershawguy has blem Skylines for $25!
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This is the best recommendation in this thread. Blems tend to be near perfect, often you can't even tell what the blem is, and even if it's some small imperfection at $25 that's a steal!
 
LilLaz said:
Does the back lock have a advantages or disadvantages versus the Skyline's or say Persistence's liner lock?
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Backlock is a very solid lockup. Sometimes a linerlock will have bladeplay, although the Kershaw Skyline never does from what I've seen. The big problem with a backlock that most people will echo is that it has a very strong detente. That is it's much hard to open than a linerlock, framelock, axis lock, etc. That doesn't sound like a big deal but it's very noticeable in use, and slows down the opening of the knife. Once it's open though the backlock probably has the edge in terms of strength. The Delica 4 full-flat-ground (FFG) is an amazing knife and the benchmark for EDC knives, and that's for a reason. The skyline is also awesome though. Those are two of the very best EDC knives around at any price, both are absolutely fantastic, so I'd say aesthetics and what you want are more important than performance.

If you're a knife nut though and you like to flip a knife open and play with it I still think the skyline has the edge. It's also a great knife for "white-collar EDC" that is for people with office jobs, etc. and all you cut open are some packages and slicing some fruit. The Delica 4 is the better knife for real use though. Put it this way, if I were an average American EDC'er just wanting to have fun with knives while still using them, I'd recommend the Skyline. If I were backpacking for weeks on end or deploying to Afghanistan in the USMC, I'd take the Delica 4.

With all that said I'd still recommend the Skyline for most people, it's a more comfortable EDC. But really you can't go wrong with either. For EDC those are amazing knives, better than anything the competition can offer.
 
For medium duty use, light prying and where edge retention and ergonomics are key, the Delica hands down. If you use knives for light duty use and no prying at all and generally cut fairly nonabrasive media (not cardboard, heavy zip-ties, etc) the Skyline is more fun to carry and open and far lighter. Good edge to handle ratio too.

I'd get a Tenacious if you expect to use it hard, but have found its detent far less than desirable in a 2 year old model I eventually sold.
 
The FFG Delica is no good for prying, IMO. It is very thin at the tip. The saber ground D4 is much beefier at the tip, but still not really designed to pry with. They are made to cut things.
 
Delica has better steel, but it's more expensive. They're both good slicers in my experience, though personally I prefer liner locks to back locks (mostly a convenience thing). Also the Skyline has G10, which I find is a little nicer than FRN (others may disagree). Ultimately though I think it'll come down to your budget: they're both good value, but if you want something for light use at a much lower price I'd go with the Skyline. If you plan to use it harder and you have decent sharpening equipment, go with the Delica.
 
I Definitely Agree That I Prefer G-10 Over FRN.
But.. Having Owned And Loved Both Knives In Question, I Would Go With The Spyderco Delica 4 FFG.
The Blade Is Thin, Nice Looking, Very Utilitarian, A Wicked Slicer, But Would Hold Up Through Some Harder Use Tasks From Time To Time.
It's Very Slim Profile And You Can Get A Real Nice Grip On The Handle - This Even works If You Have Large Hands Like Myself.
I Find The Back Lock Very Simple, And Once You Really Get Used To It, You'll Be Able To Open And Close It At Near Lightning Speed. You Get Used To Certain Maneuvers.
Plus The Blade Steel Is More Superior.

Either Knife You Go With Is A Great Knife And You Won't Be Disappointed. But The Delica Is My Pick.
 
+1 on the Lansky sharpener kit, but I never use the clamps or rods, I just use the stones as, well, stones, and sharpen freeehand. Those kits give a nice assortment of grits, and make freehand sharpening pretty quick and painless. The Norton stone I mentioned is the type carried at Lowe's or Home Depot. They're about $8, but the grit choice is limited. Not quite as good as the Lansky, but cheap.

Also: OP, you seem to be debating this with yourself quite fiercely. Let me offer some advice: all of the knives mentioned are great. Don't get too hung up on edge retention or technical aspects. Buy what appeals to you. I've bought many knives that were "superior" on paper, and then they never got carried, and I eventually sold them because they just weren't for me. A prime example was the Spyderco Sage 2. It's a great knife, I bought it because it sounded great on paper, but it just didn't feel right to me, personally. Honestly, I prefer the Delica. So find someting you think you like and buy it, because now that you're hooked, and there is no hope for you, you'll end up with all of these knives metioned and more because we're all hopeless addicts here. Don't make the decision process painful, make it enjoyable.
 
Thinking about buying everything from Amazon, but not sure yet.
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I buy a LOT of stuff on Amazon, but when I buy knives I support the knife specialty stores. I have a list of nearly 20, and usually one (or more) of them is cheaper than Amazon, and sometimes with cheaper and faster shipping.

The flipper on the Buck is almost useless without a large amount of wrist action.
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My Vantage was a bit stiff when I got it, but after a simple application of Eezox to the joints (and to the blade for rust prevention) it flips open pretty easily.
 
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get the skyline in G10 cuz it weights a lot less and works great. for the spyderco, save your money and get a Police 3 in G10!
 
I have both, and they are two of my most carried EDC's. I like the G10 handles and flipper on the Skyline better, but I like the contoured handles and ergos of the Delica more. The Skyline has a longer blade (3" vs. 2.5" cutting edge) and is a bit thinner (2mm vs. 2.5mm). Both of them ride a bit high (~1" exposed) when carried tip-up, so I actually flipped the clips on mine to carry them tip-down.

Really, you can't go wrong with either.
 
Yeah since this is going to be my first knife, I need to get a sharpener to. So I'm going to set aside the Delica right now and decide between the Skyline and the Persistence. I'm leaning towards the Skyline right now.
 
if cost is a huge concern look on the boards. i got my third delica for 35 bucks. looks new to me. i have seen others for 40. i have never used a skyline. the only kershaw i have and handled is a ss chive.
 
I like the wider,thinner blade profile of the Delica better than that of the Skyline's also while not perfect I find FRN to be a more than adequete handle material. I'd give a nod to the Delica's VG-10 blade to the Skyline's 14C28N sandvik for sure though. I suppose you could say that when it comes to folders I'm more of a lighter use guy and prefer not to strain of abuse my folders if possible but sometimes circumstances arise where there isn't another option.
 
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